by Rhea Regale
Damn the man, he was right. Rylan wasn’t at the top of his game—he would’ve ordered an officer out of the field in his condition—but it didn’t make the truth sting any less.
“Fuckin’ rebel.” Rylan growled as he climbed out of the passenger side and rounded the truck. He caught the glow of headlights before he closed the door and settled behind the wheel. All of that suppressed emotion suddenly challenged his calm and control. His fury escalated as those twin beams came closer and closer. Turning on his mic, he said, “Martha, suspect approaching Main Street from Maple.”
“You have Kyle and Jesse in your area, one at Dairy, one at Fielding,” Martha said.
As much as Rylan burned to spin out of the parking spot and stop the vehicle coming up to the stop light, he refrained. His fingers wrapped around the steering wheel, his foot hovering over the brake, waiting for the vehicle to turn and pass before slamming the truck into drive and pulling out behind him. He kept the headlights off, using the dim street lamps to guide him along.
He crept up to the bumper of the truck, confirming it was Jackson’s. A new surge of adrenaline pounded him, each throb of his heart delivering a punch against his skull. He couldn’t see through the tinted windows due to the snow. He had no idea if Brianna was in the truck, if she was safe. The unknown gave the beast in him the edge he needed to break free of his cage and take possession of his body.
Rylan backed off the truck a few feet and flicked on the headlights. The driver of the truck sped up, back tires fishtailing.
“You’re done, boy,” Rylan said between clenched teeth. He pressed down on the accelerator and veered to the right, closer, closer, coming up on the bumper to perform a PIT maneuver and end this escapade in a peaceful—and painful—manner.
The truck jerked and Rylan hit too much bumper. The truck swerved and skidded, but gained control and sped up.
Pop. Poppoppop.
The echoes of shots cut through the night. The truck veered, spun sideways, coming to a stop. Rylan threw the truck into park, shoved open the door, and dropped to his feet, gun raised. One of his men pulled out of Dairy, lights blazing. His other man came up the road and stopped adjacent to the first car, blocking Main Street. Both officers remained shielded behind their vehicles.
Rylan slammed the truck door shut, ignoring every precaution in the books about approaching an armed suspect. His rage unleashed. Tonight, he’d deal with Sean his way. He’d teach the prick a thing or two about messing around his town. He’d make this fuck pay for everything he’d done to Brianna, and he’d pay now.
“Get out!” Rylan bellowed, aiming his gun at the window. “Now!”
The driver’s side door opened slowly. A splayed hand peeked out from behind the frame.
“What is this all about?” Sean called.
Rylan lowered the gun and fired a warning shot at the ground a few feet from Sean’s leg. The man jumped and came out from behind the door, pulling Brianna with him. He raised Rylan’s stolen Glock to Brianna’s head. Rylan carefully schooled his expression, his emotions, at the sight of his woman, fear so thick rolling off her he could feel it pulsing through the air.
“You just went from idiot to felon, do you realize that?” Rylan said. “Assault, battery, grand theft, kidnappin’. Should I continue? Let her go.”
Rylan held his aim with frightening accuracy at Sean’s head. He cocked his head, narrowing his eyes. His vision had become hyper focused on his suspect, keeping his tumultuous emotions of panic and anxiety from taking over. He had two concerns. Save his woman and eliminate this pathetic threat. His blood singed his veins, his anger thick and suffocating.
“She’s coming with me. When I return next, it’ll be with a team of lawyers to make sure you go away for a long time,” Sean said. Rylan’s brow furrowed at this madman’s irrational logic.
Sean glanced down the road. Rylan saw it, too, the hint of headlights through the thick snow, but he did not move his attention from his suspect. He stole a quick look at Brianna, his heart ripping open at the sheer terror in her eyes. Her lips drew tight. Her body trembled. Her hands were cuffed—Rylan patted his belt only to discover his cuffs gone—and her fingers fisted.
Rylan caught the stealth movement of a dark figure along the sidewalk, coming up behind Jackson’s broken-down truck.
Sean gave Brianna a jerk, his arm tightening around her waist until she winced. Rylan’s mouth twitched, his finger stiffening against the trigger.
The newest arrival parked behind Carter’s truck and cut the engine. “Guess I didn’t hit either one of you hard enough.”
“You’ll be wishin’ you had hit me with a truck when I’m through with you,” Rylan said, his voice heavy with disgust.
“Don’t be so melodramatic. You’re not going to shoot me. I’ve got Brianna. She’s the prize, isn’t she? You want her, that lowlife there wants her, and I want her. The difference between me and the rest of you is that I have the means, money, power, and persuasion to keep her.”
Jackson came to a dead stop at the hood of Carter’s truck, Rylan’s shotgun at the ready. Sean’s lips pulled back in a triumphant smile. He jabbed the muzzle of the gun at Brianna’s temple. She cringed. Rylan tensed, keeping his cool as he followed Carter’s silent approach from his peripheral vision. His cousin climbed into the bed of the F150 like a ghost, carrying a much longer firearm than the one he’d left the truck with.
Sean laughed. “You little town people know nothing about how we work in the big city.”
Carter straightened up against the cab of the truck and eased the tip of the rifle into the back of Sean’s head. Sean’s grip on the Glock faltered. Rylan lunged forward, grabbing Sean’s wrist, aiming the gun away from Brianna. The man had gone rigid and, to Rylan’s surprise, didn’t fight.
“Go to Jackson, Brianna,” Rylan demanded, his voice still thrumming with anger. Brianna scrambled away from Sean. Carter reached over and snatched Rylan’s Glock from Sean’s hand. “‘Fraid you’ve got it wrong, asshole. You city people don’t know how us little town people work.”
“We live by our own set of rules here, pretty boy,” Carter added on a deadly husk.
Rylan wiped the stream of blood slithering down his temple, licked at the cut on his lip, and scowled. “You know somethin’? I’m so over you fuckin’ city pricks causin’ a ruckus in Ryder.”
Rylan flipped the revolver in his hand and whipped the butt of the gun down on the side of Sean’s head. The man grunted and his eyes rolled skyward, body arching before he crumbled to the ground.
Rylan knocked a hand into the muzzle of the rifle. “Where the fuck did you get that?”
Carter winked. “Borrowed it from one of your guys.” He placed the Glock on the side of the bed. “Evidence?”
“Yeah.” Rylan waved over his officers. He squeezed his eyes shut, a bout of dizziness making him unsteady. “Still have this burnin’ desire to shoot the bastard.”
“You need to get that head of yours checked out,” Carter suggested, vaulting out of the truck. “You need to sit?”
“Nah.” Rylan sniffed, the cold air helping to momentarily clear his pounding head as Kyle and Jesse approached. “Take him down to county and have him booked. Tell’em I’ll be down with a report in the next few hours. Call Rescue, too, and tell them to swing by the station.”
“’Course, Sheriff,” Kyle said. He pointed to the rifle. “Need that back.”
Rylan left his men to clean up the mess and staggered over to Jackson and Brianna. The adrenaline faded, and with it, the fabricated restraint that had masked his pain. It came on full-strength, each breath, each step, issuing a new hammer of pain in his head.
He knelt down against Carter’s truck, using the tire as support. Brianna crawled off Jackson and climbed into Rylan’s arms, clinging to him, sobbing against his shoulder. Rylan held her tight, nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck.
“Brianna,” he whispered. She lifted her head, her hands gliding up his neck to his
face. Her glistening eyes held his for a short moment.
When her mouth led him into a slow, tender kiss, all the pain, the anger, and the hatred melted away. His angel was safe, and in the end, that was all he cared about. He would continue to hold her, to enjoy the gifts she shared with him, and love her until she and Jackson left.
After tonight, he knew that if he had lost her, if anything had happened to her, he would’ve been right back where he was the day he found out Hailey was dead. He’d be lost without Brianna because she was his angel, and he loved her for restoring life to his heart.
Chapter Twenty-Five
“Go, honey. Take this time to be with him. I’ll be back in an hour.” Jackson teased her bottom lip with a kiss. He caressed her cheek, turned, and headed across the porch to Rylan’s black pickup. She watched him from the door until he pulled onto Sheridan.
Brianna returned to the kitchen and set up the breakfast tray with a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast, two fresh cups of coffee, a small glass of water, and a bottle of pain relievers. The prescription the doctor had written for stronger medication sat unfilled on the counter, and she had a feeling it would soon end up in the garbage.
Rylan was still asleep when she slipped into his room. She stared at him, captivated by the man who snuck into her heart and took up residence alongside Jackson. Her sheriff slept with peace caped over his scratched face, his soft hair falling over his eyes and brushing along his cheek and nose. The small cuts along his cheek and jaw had scabbed. The deeper wound above his temple and across his brow was bandaged. His lip was slightly swollen where it had suffered a cut.
You’re even more handsome now with your battle scars. Battle scars that were for me.
Brianna didn’t have the heart to wake him. In addition to everything on his face, he’d received three staples to the back of his head and suffered a mild concussion, though the man didn’t appear the least bit dazed. The doctor put him on strict leave of duty for a week, and Rylan assured both her and Jackson he’d be taking advantage of the time off.
She smiled to herself, flipped out the legs to the tray, and rested it on the dresser. She slid the angel back and paused when she didn’t see the ring. A quick glance over the tray produced no velvet box.
“It’s gone, sweetheart.”
Brianna spun around at the sound of his sleepy voice. A grin lifted his mouth, the hint of his dimple showing. His eyes were barely open.
“I wanted to make sure I didn’t knock the tray into anything.”
“Mmm-hmm. That’s what it was.” Rylan stifled a yawn and pressed upright, dropping his feet to the floor. He hesitated, leaning against his knees, and then slowly stretched up on his feet. Brianna hurried to his side when he staggered his first couple steps. He draped and arm around her shoulder and pressed his face to her hair. “Brianna.”
“I’ll help you.”
“I’m fine now.” He breathed into her hair and kissed her head. “I’ll be right back.”
Brianna watched him until he disappeared into the bathroom, the sexy husk of his voice upon waking warming her soul. She could wake to that voice every day and never tire of hearing him whisper her name in greeting.
She fixed up his bedding and returned to the dresser to fetch the tray when he emerged from the bathroom, appearing a little more awake. He stepped up to her and hooked a finger on the sash of her robe.
“Mornin’, angel,” he said, giving her sash a gentle tug. She smiled up at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Mornin’, handsome. Hope I didn’t wake you.”
Ryan drew a single finger down her cheek. “You can wake me any day, anytime. May I confess somethin’ to you?”
“Anythin’.”
Rylan smoothed a hand over her hair. “I was disappointed to come home and find you asleep in the other room. I was hopin’ I’d find you here.”
Brianna traced the curve of his pecs. “I wasn’t sure you’d want company after the beatin’ you took last night.”
Rylan caught her under the chin and eased her face closer to his. “After last night, I couldn’t have wanted it more.”
“Do you still want company?”
He gave a soft, breathy laugh. “Oh, Brianna. Yes. I want your company.” His lips teased hers, not kissing, barely touching. She pressed into his chest, her breasts against the harder curves of his pecs. She played with the ends of his hair, refraining from combing her fingers into his soft strands. “Where’s Jackson?”
“Went to check on the truck at Brent’s place and to grab his stuff from his parents’ house. He’ll be back in a hour.” Brianna rubbed her hips against his swollen cock, her eyelids falling shut. She felt his lips curl against hers. “I’m exclusively yours for an hour.”
“Not enough time. He’s had you exclusively for months,” Rylan whispered, his airy kiss damn near driving her mad. He worked open the knot at her waist with one hand, cupping the back of her neck with the other. She moaned when his rough palm slid over her bare flesh, skating up to her aching breast. His thumb traced her areola, teasing the base of her nipple. “But I’ll take any time I can get with you. Alone.”
Brianna dipped her head enough to capture his bottom lip between hers and trace the line of his skin with the tip of her tongue.
“You need to take it easy, Sheriff. No wild, crazy bed sex today.”
Rylan slipped the robe off her shoulders, and she let it pool at her feet. The sensation of his feathery touch down her spine elicited a shiver, leaving goose bumps along her arms and a new wave of wetness through her pussy. “Ahh, Miss Cabot. I know tenderness as much as I know your claimed ‘wild, crazy bed sex.’”
“I guess you’ll have to prove it to me.” Brianna pressed into him, forcing him to step back. She slipped her fingers beneath the waistband of his pants, molding around the hard globes of his ass as she guided him back to the bed. “But first, I’ve got a little somethin’ for you.”
“Oh?” That single-word response came out on a sexy rumble that strummed her nerves. His legs hit the mattress. She leaned back. His eyes darkened, brimming with familiar carnal desires. The smoky heat stoked the fire inside her body, leaving her clit throbbing with anticipation.
Brianna eased his pants down the hard cut of his thighs. “Sit down.”
Rylan’s nostrils flared. He lowered himself on the edge of the mattress, combing a hand into her hair. She dropped to her knees, taking her sweet time to skim his pants down his calves and pull them off each foot. Shuffling closer to the bed, she glided her palms along the insides of his thighs to his jutting cock. She wrapped one hand around the base of his thick erection. His fingers tightened in her hair. The scent of his musk filled her lungs. Her mouth watered and her jaw tightened as she brought the glistening tip of his cock to her lips.
Brianna closed her eyes, savoring the rich flavor of his hot skin and salty cream. She swirled her tongue along his crown, licking up the juice he’d leaked. Slowly, she curled her way down the ridges of his shaft, moistening his cock with her mouth.
“Brianna,” Rylan cooed. She rode his dick to the head, tipped his cock, and licked along the prominent vein down the underside. Through her slitted eyes, she watched Rylan lean back on his free arm, his gaze searing her to the bone. She loved the way he looked at her when he was about to lose himself to his untamed passion.
She loved his passion. She loved him.
Brianna pumped the base of his cock with her fisted hand at a lazy pace. His cock thickened and stretched against her tongue, growing with each stroke of her lips and each tease of her hand. Pre-cum seeped from the slit at his crown.
She cupped his sac, stoking a feral growl from his chest. Dragging her lips up the side of his cock, rolling his balls against her palm, she breeched his tip with a gentle brush of her teeth.
Rylan sucked in a sharp breath. His legs jerked. “Fuckin’ hell.”
Brianna raised her heavy eyelids and gazed up at him from behind his cock. “You don’t like that
?”
Rylan was on the precipice of tender and fierce. “Quite the opposite, you wicked woman.”
“Huh.”
She coasted her lips along the vein and again, as she rose to his cockhead and rolled his balls, teased him with her teeth and rolled his balls. His fingers fisted against her scalp, the prickling pain exhilarating. Her nipples pressed into the mattress, playing the sensitive cords of pleasure that reached down to her pussy. She clenched her pussy muscles, tipping her head to draw Rylan’s cock into her mouth. She took him deep. Her lips created a firm suction as she swallowed him back and massaged his heavy sac in her palm. His deep, gravelly moans filled her ears with an erotic song.
“I won’t let you suck me off, Brianna,” Rylan said. She soaked in the hot, fluid stream of his voice, allowing it to ribbon around her and slink between her legs to stroke her pussy. Brianna moved her mouth and her fist in synchronized motion, keeping each draw to his head and hilt slow and steady. His salty juice continued to seep and coat her tongue, and she drank up each small sip, craving the next treat. “Brianna.”
Rylan pulled back at her hair, forcing her away from his jerking cock. She began to push off her knees, tracing the cuts of his abs with her tongue and moist kisses. He’d relinquished his grip in her hair to brace himself on fisted hands. Subtle ripples coursed along his stomach, some more pronounced when she nipped his skin, others softer and more relaxed with her playful licks.
“My little kitten,” Rylan murmured as she crept up to his chest, drawing one leg onto the bed beside his. She glanced up at him, pulling her other leg onto the bed in a full straddle of his narrow hips. He reclined back, the tip of his cock slipping through her wetness. She licked her lips and dipped down to lick his erect nipple. “Mmm, someone needs to learn how to control that mouth.”
“I control it very well,” Brianna said against his warm skin. She kissed across the dip between his pecs and teased his other nipple. “See?”
